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Experiences!

Experiences make stories and travel experiences make wonderful memories which stay with you for life.One such story is of Meghalaya in the monsoons where nature turns into a huge canvas and paints views which remain with you for a lifetime.Once again the joy of visiting a place in the off season where valleys hidden by fleeting white balls of clouds gave way to a green valley with innumerable overflowing white water falls to overwhelm you gave us so much pleasure that words and pictures can seldom capture.But it is wonderful to relieve the experience and share it through this blog.But first a few snap shots.








Kanthi always wishes for the family vacation to be a normal relaxed affair but invariably like a cliché Bollywood twist in the tale we attract adventure as light attracts a moth.Be it like the bomb blasts in colombo,naxal attacks in Bastar,gas geyser leak in spiti,driving in the mountains of Arunachal in a thick blanket of fog the list just goes on like a Duracell battery life.

She had this one planned to the T.Having made a short drive to Meghalaya once earlier (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...arunachal.html (NorthEast Reloaded: Meghalaya -> Assam -> Arunachal)) we had made a mental promise to make a trip exclusively to this beautiful state of Meghalaya.We wanted to avoid the normal circuit and explore the "Real Meghalaya".Again the plan was mainly involving East and West Khasi regions but the less frequented places.

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Like typical Uber Bangalorean’s we imagine we are a different breed and not tourists ourselves so we seek to avoid “touristy” crowded places and look for offbeat village locations which janta avoid.Ironically social media is so full of “offbeat-unexplored”locations but being old school our guide to zero in on the itinerary and stay places were written blogs.
The plan:

10th May – Land @ Guwahati.11.45 am.Car rental (Zola Adventures i20 Petrol) to be available for self drive pick up.Drive down to Langkawet.Target to reach by 6.30pm.Stay at Langawet The retreat run by Victor.

11th May- Explore Langkawet village with its numerous trails and rolling green hills.If possible and if we truly dare do the bamboo trek touted as the most dangerous trek in India.

12th May- Drive to Tyrna Village (Park the car at entrance) and start the Double decker trek.Stay @ Serene Homestay run by Byron at Nongriat Village.

13th May- Continue further and start for nearby treks like Secret waterfall/Rainbow falls and then start the ascend back from the Doble decker root bridge to Tyrna Village.Stay the night at Rustic Homestay.

14th May- Visit the waterfalls around Sohra and reach Mawphanlur village for night at Travellers Nest.Amazing drive on the new Shillong-Nongstoin Highway.

15th May- Trek around Mawphanlur village .Do Mawthadraishan peak trek and explore the picturesque village with endless meadows and the 6 lakes.If time permits visit Nongkhnum Island.

16th May- Drive to Mawphlang village.Stay at Maple Pine Farm run by James.Explore Mawphalang Sacred Grove trek and if possible the David scott trail.
17th May- Drive to Guwahati via Shillong with lunch at Café Shillong.See if Laitlum Canyon visit can be squeezed.Night at Radisson Blue.

18th May- Take the afternoon flight to Bangalore.

The trip did start on a good note with the flight actually reaching on time and the person from Zola Adventure Vedant met us and handed over the Car(Hyundai i20) which seemed fine and had clocked about 50k kms on the odometer.



Asked Vedant where we could stop for lunch and was told Jiva dhaba in Nongpoh was a popular joint on the Guwahati-Shillong Highway.

Unluckily for us there was a political rally on the day and the streets were choc a block with people and traffic was moving at a snails pace.We decided to stop for lunch at a Tibetian joint Thupka a short distance from Civil court complex.We did cross the popular Kamakhya temple and the rope way across the Brahmaputra enroute but hunger and the need to get away from the Guwahati traffic forced us to skip any stops.

Food was Thupka and noodles which was not too great to talk about,Kesar chai @Kesariya chaiwala below the restaurant was good though.These non traditional offbeat chai shops offering varied unconventional flavours like kesar,pan,chilli even bubble gum seem to be mushrooming with many such outlets in bangalore too.Love the experimentation personally.

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Lunch done we actually managed to crawl through traffic and once again missed to take the sharp right to Shillong on the highway.There is just a board warning about the right exactly on the spot and if we do not keeping a sharp eye on the google maps missing the turn is I guess bound to happen.The jam caused a further delay of 30 mins and finally after 3.30 pm we were on the home run and speeding towards Shillong.

Stopped for milk tea at a Rajasthani dhaba near Nongpoh at a Bharat petroleum bunk where the tea and some hot rotis and dal which Kanthi and Smrithi had was divine. Arguably among the better meals we had on the trip.
It started raining and by the time we crossed Umiam lake just before hitting Shillong it was dark already and the visibility was poor.

The perils or fun of driving in Meghalaya is that you need to plan to reach the destination before it gets dark by around 6-6.30 pm and the fact that rains are always a possibility and that invariably means fog and poor visibility.

By the time we crossed Shillong (traffic was not bad at this time of the day luckily) and hit the stretch of road leading to Sohra and Dawki we were already hungry as the time was well past 7.30 pm and and when we asked Victor our host he suggested us to stop for a quick Dinner stopover at Soilyna Hut Resort as dinner would not be available at the homestay.
Dinner was at Soilyna Huts was quick and Jhakaas. Probably the best food we had in the trip.The bamboo shoot soup,dal and rotis were so-so yummy and food was quick to be served too.Is it just me or does hot tasty food served in cold weather or rains simply tend to taste far better?




The rains by now had become a downpour as we had to take a left to leave the Sohra road and take the less used road leading to Langkawet.Thankfully the downpour had reduced to a drizzle but we soon realised that this was not good news as instead now a thick blanket of fog engulfed us and visibility to down to a bare 5 feet or so even in High beam lights.Traffic had also thinned out totally.

We managed to follow a Maruti 800 and the feeble tail lights along with the white painted lines at the centre and edge of the roads were our only visibility indicators and the refence point to drive.The unwritten rule in hilly areas driving is if there is oncoming traffic then never use the high beam as that can virtually blind the oncoming vehicle.

The situation was grim as the roads were windy and the terrain unknown.We had over an hour of driving to go to reach our destination and the thick blanket of white fog was making life miserable for both the drivers. Construction work on the road with the slushy mud did not make things better and at one point the local registered Maruti was indicating for us to overtake him by slowing down.But we were sticking to him like a leach and slowed down ourselves to match his speed.Our high beam was turned off if there ever was a car coming from the opposite side. Never more did we wish for oncoming traffic to just give us some confidence and respite.The low density traffic also meant we were practically the only cars on the highway and we were praying that the Maruti was traveling towards Langkawet too.

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A few taxis did coming speeding from behind us giving us temporary relief but the 800 and me were unable to keep up with their speed and it was mainly us who covered the long 50 minutes safely and cautiously.

Later during our many conversations with Victor over dinner we got to know about a funny incident of another driver also following a local car and suddenly finding that the car in front had stopped and reversing slowly clearly indicating something was wrong.After a while of observing this the driver decided to go and investigate if any help was needed only to realize that the local had reached home and was parking his car for the night.
We luckily had no such issues and the Maruti kept us company till the final 3 kms stretch where we had to take a left to reach the Resort and village.Between a terrified Kanthi / Smrithi who had their eyes glued to the road ahead and a “calm” me we had somehow managed to reach our destination for the night.

Google maps showed us reached status just short of the actual location and a call and directions later we finally reached the resort and a warm bed for the night. We were informed breakfast would be served at 8.30 am and hot water was always available in the room provided we had electricity.









As we got up after a good nights sleep to the sound of huge down pour of rain which relentlessly was falling throughout the night in various levels of intensity. We just hoped the day was not a wash out and we got at least a small window of sunshine to explore the village.

To our dismay as we stepped out for Breakfast we found that the shoes were totally drenched despite the roof extending in the courtyard and decided we need to ensure that here unlike our normal norm we did need to safely keep our foot wear inside the room.

The shoe was un wearable at least for a day or two and we had to use our ill equipped crocs and slippers as foot wear for the day ahead if we got a chance.

Breakfast was a delight and one of the many conversation occasions with our host Victor who was of Irish born lineage,married to a Khasi woman and a proud parent of three kids.The family stayed at Shillong and Victor who was an avid trekker managed the homestay with his staff including the cook cum guide Wansukh(meaning welcome happiness in Khasi language).

He had a nice dry sense of typical Irish humour and regaled us with many interesting stories like the earlier anecdote of the car driver.

One of the interesting stories he mentioned was about a cancer survivor who had cycled all the way from Bristol to Beijing with a days stop at his place covering an average of a 100 kms every day.Hats off and best of luck to him in his endeavor which was cut short due to covid restrictions not allowing foreign nationals visiting China now.

Amazed by the resilience of some people to over come all odds to achieve their goal. Travelling gives you such new perspectives of life and to get to know about various local cultures.For instance the house he built was as per local architecture using free breathing sand stones available in that area with the roof being made of tin sheets packed tightly underneath by immaculately polished pine wood ensuring not a single drop of rain entered the house ,it was warm and cozy and the noise levels on the tin roof were insulated to not disturb a nights sleep.

He gave us options to spend the day either exploring latlium canyon(40 kms away) which he said would be clear with the rains falling or visit a few vista points and the Byrdaw Falls(30 kms away) on the road to Dawki.
Luckily the weather gods showed mercy and we were able to drive with Wansukh as our guide for the rest of the day.This was to become the norm of rains by evening continuing throughout the night and till mid morning with a clear day for sightseeing.

The plan was to drive to Byrdaw falls where the uniqueness is that we get to walk in a cave behind the waterfall and view it from behind it.The idea of the same brought a smile as it took me back to growing up days when Phantom had his home in a cave behind the waterfall.

With Wansukh guiding us we did the short trek to Byrdaw falls where we needed to cross the first of the many hanging bridges we would crossing in this trip.This was a relatively easy one across a small stream.




During the rains on of the drawbacks when visiting the falls is that one does not get to enjoy the turquoise blue color shades of then pool formed by the waterfall during clear summer times but the plus is that the waterfalls are in its full glory and though white are breath taking.
The excitement when we caught a glimpse of the falls was palpable as the roar of the mighty falls could be heard clearly from afar and the water was spraying all over us.

It is cool and unique to experience the fall at from right behind it as you look up to enjoy the flow from just above you as you proceed to descend to its foot to enjoy the falls from the conventional position.











This had a platform mid way through where the spray of droplets drenched us thoroughly. We had massive fun soaking in the falls and doing what we should be doing,”Enjoying the moment”.

Had a chance to use the drone for the first time but realized that there was no network there and we had to download the Dji app on the phone earlier which had gone to offload mode.Never mind there was always a next time for everything in life.



Next up was lunch time as the walk had made us hungry.KBR Vegetarian was out stop over.Lunch was decent and rather pricey by usual local standards.

We then went to Laitshuthim a view point where Wansukh promised a valley view and the fog ensured we had a white view though the drive to the pace was pretty and fun.

We then proceeded to our homestay as we were to depart the next day and wanted to have a walk around the village and enjoy the rolling green meadows and water streams abundant in the region.

We had a nice leisurely walk and bought food stuff from shops in the village which were generally shop cum homes and the average cost of each item was Rs 20.A good lesson of economics of village life and how every item was to have to miniature size to be made available for the Indian rural scene at affordable price range.

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Review of the Homestay and Langkawet Village-Number of days one can spend-Food and facility available -Places where you can go keeping this place as a base.

First up if you are not wanting to have a city experience then make this your first point of stay instead of a stop at Shillong.

Victor is an excellent host and can keep you regaled for hours with his stories of the place and his dry sense of Irish humour.
The place is very comfy to stay and clean.The bed is comfortable and the bathroom is adequate with hot water availability and a water kettle for making green tea.

Food served is awesome.More of the continental type with bread,Baked kidney beans,Lip smacking Aloo tikki for breakfast.Dinner is traditional Indian dal and roti or rice.Menu is fixed and breakfast is included in the package.
There are many trails to be explored in and around the village.A beautiful church can be seen and there seem to be innumerable water falls and streams around.Victor was telling us about several unknown but gorgeous living root bridges around.For someone with a stomach for adventure the Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trail otherwise known as the scariest bamboo trek of India is an option nearby.

For someone who loves to walk around,experience life in a un hurried manner,enjoy good food and company an easy 3 nights can be spent here.Personally our two nights with the rains simply flew by as it became time to start for our next destination Tyrna.On hindsight we could have also used this as a base to travel to Mawphlanur.

Day 3: Tyrna and the Nongriat Double Decker trek.

Th drive from the resort to Tyrna was about 2 hours and the rains were keeping us company as usual.We stopped a couple of times to photograph and enjoy a few unknown waterfalls by the road.The plan was to have a quick lunch and park the car as near to the start of the trek as possible and hit the trek trail by 2-2.30 pm.





Arguably one of the most popular activities in Meghalaya is to trek down to the double decker root bridge of Nongriat.Most people start at 6.30 am and complete the trek to the root bridge and head back to reach the top by late evening.For this they need to reach the base village of Tyrna the previous evening and spend the night there from where the down ward descend to Nongriat starts.The trek is physically demanding if you are not used to trekking as it involves a one way 3500 steps journey.That said found so many people including a family we were to meet later who were first time trekkers managing to do the complete trek in one day.

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Before jumping the gun let me describe the experience of the drive and lunch en route.We were advised to stop for lunch at the popular Orange Roots Resort where we had stopped at our earlier trip too or try the Smoky Hills resort at Tyrna(famous for growing coffee).There was also the equally popular Sai Mika resort which we again missed out on and ended having lunch at Orange Roots veg hotel.You get south Indian food and thali here in case one craves for the same.It’s strange how one can rarely find local Khasi food here in The Khasi hills here.But I guess tourists keep demanding known comfort food instead of exploring the un known local cousine.



The drive when we took a detour for Tyrna after the Orange Root Hotel was pure magic.We first saw the two lane windy road was tree covered and the mist was magical.Little did we realise that the valley side was to unleash a spectacle fit for the Gods.We caught a glimpse through the tree cover of several majestic waterfalls and stopped the car to have a partial view of the same.The scene with the rains and the lifting cover of clouds cannot be described in words or for that matter captured on camera.It is simply meant to be experienced.







The road finally end at the Tyrna village parking spot for us and we saw that with the parking full we were up for a crowd of trekkers.

On the dot by 2 we were descending the 3500 steps to Nongriat Village.
Like I mentioned the most popular plan was to start the trek early and close by end of day or like us we start mid of the day directly to the trek and stay the night at Nongriat.

Our stay was booked at Serene Homestay run by the mercurial Byron who is a character by himself.

As is expected right from the time we were off (Thankfully in nice bright sunny conditions) we were asked by trekkers returning back how long it was to go to the top.We kept encouraging that it was just a short distance back which never failed to bring a bright smile on tired faces.There were all ages of people all only heading back unlike us and though tired had the look of satisfaction that the ordeal was totally worth it.

For those on the wrong side of 40 (in my case 50) descend is fare tougher on the knees than the ascend any day but we did manage quite comfortably to reach the village well within 4 with hardly any breaks in between .We first straight away proceeded to the bridge before which we had to cross a single decker root bridge and a couple of scary but thrilling hanging bridges.













The highlight of the trek were the hanging bridges which run across a raging river underneath at about 30 feet height.The bridge made of steel either had only steel wire flooring or in better case had a steel meshed platform which felt a lot safer.The bridge swayed as we walked on it and looking down at the fierce waters ran a shiver down your spine but as we were to discover later this was just a trailer and a non scary one at that to what we were to encounter later the next day.

There were only a small group of people who were busy photographing for I guess their instagram handle as it was a little late in the evening and I guess for any group who had to trek back to Tyrna 4pm is the absolute cut off time.

We walked back to Serene homestay and had some hot tea and Maggi .The rains again started and we retired back to our room which was basic but clean and we had to use the shared toilet and bathroom.The homestay was mainly for trekkers who wanted to either stay back to explore Nongriat or head towards the rainbow falls trek or to the foot of the Nohkalika waterfalls from here.There was also a secret waterfall and a couple of lakes which hopefully we would be going to the next day.

Dinner was a simple Vegetarian affair with rice and dal.We again did the cardinal sin of keeping our footwear outside the room believing that then roof overhead would protect it from being soaked in the rain.

For us to cover the trek we needed to start by 6.30 am and hope that the rains which was pelting with full fury throughout the night relented in the morning as was the pattern here.We had an early morning breakfast and a packed lunch with our guide for the trek and luckily for us the rains had indeed reduced considerably and was only a light drizzle.

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The trail led us through forests and steps.The path was well laid out till Rain bow falls.The plan was to complete the falls trek and after lunch head back and visit the two lakes and the secret waterfalls on the way back to the Nongriat village.

















We again had to cross a few more swaying bridges along the way including a couple of Root bridges.The low height of the side walls and the sight of the roaring river about 20 odd feet below was scary and thrilling.The rains had come to a standstill as we made our way to a waterfall which we needed to walk across to reach the other side of the hill.We could practically see the top of the hills which perhaps would be where the falls was located.We had covered a couple of hours of trek but it looked like we could not continue further.Crossing the waterfall with the steep rock face looked to be very dangerous and we decided to play and safe and head back hopefully to the lakes ad the secret waterfalls.A case of so near yet so far but seriously discretion is the better part of valor and we would leave the same for perhaps another time.

It had now stated pouring and we quickly put of jackets and ponchos on.The root bridges now had become slippery too because of the rains and the slushy mud trail gave us no respite either.

The rains also ensured that our plans for the lake and secret waterfalls too was washed out but we were actually glad to get back to the safety of the home stay.We decided to head back as soon as we could so that we were in the flow and the could hopefully reach the Tyrna base just after lunch time.While we were enjoying a quick tea with biscuits Byron regaled us with a song played along his guitar.The melody of the beautifully rendered song gave us the wind to start our ascend back fully charged up.The rains too was now on and off and we ascended fairly comfortably only stopping once to enjoy some cucumbers from one of the many shops which was just opening their shutters to await the afternoon crowd of people who would be ascending after going to the Root bridge.

Review of Serene Homestay -Appx Tariff-Food and stay experience
By far the most popular stay place at Nongriat Village and probably the oldest the the usp of the place which has been made brick by brick painstakingly by the owner Byron and his wife is the maverick owner Byron himself. He can regale you with his stories about the place and if lucky tret you to a song on his guitar.

Stay is very basic as can be expected in these places where accessibility to get anything to build is a challenge with shared western and Indian toilets but it is spotlessly clean.Bugs could be an issue in the rains(remember to keep your shoes in the room!)but resolved in a unique way by Byron.Food is simple and tasty and he is a treasure trove of local knowledge and arranges a guide to take you to unexplored places(Which in our case was thwarted due to the rains).Charges are appx Rs 2000 per day including food.

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By the time we reached the parking lot it was around 12.45 and we headed to Smoky falls resort to have lunch.We were told that the restaurant would open after 1.30 and so we checked in instead at our stay for the night Rustic Homestay where we had some red tea and then came back to Smoky falls resort for lunch.

The view from the resort bowled us over completely.The mist had cleared and the open valley revealed over 60 waterfalls and a couple of streams on the foot hills.It was a scene straight from the movies of some magical place and were simply stunned.The locals too like us were busy shooting the scene on their phones/Cameras.It is strange and a modern phenomenon that where before we pause to soak in the scene and enjoy it we are scrambling to shoot it to share and capture forever on our phones. How fortunate were to be just be there and enjoy nature at its best.













The coffee (grown locally) was strong with a wonderful aroma and food was decent too(I guess the ambience just ensured anything hot was bound to be super tasty).We also fell in love with the wooden A frame cottages and quickly Kanthi got around to tweak our plan and book a night here.

We then drove around cherrapunji and also checked another resort the famed Cherrapunji Holiday resort (decent but not as well located as Smoky Falls Resort)and a few root bridges around the place.Every corner we turned too had breath taking views of the valley.We did not check the root bridges as Kanthi was tired from the trek.

Dinner and next day complimentary breakfast was at Rustic Homestay and nice too.

Review of Rustic Homestay- Rate- food -experience

Neat and clean rooms.Food is an issue as they have a temporary cook coming so it gets delayed.They in fact encouraged us to have food outside if possible.Bed was nice and the toilets clean and dry with hot water available.
Appx 3750 per night including breakfast.Decent and nice place to stay but our new favorite was the smoky falls resort.

So plan was that after checking out we dropped our luggage at Smoky Falls resort and then headed out to enjoy the various waterfalls in Sohra.

First up was the Nohkalika falls though the target was to cover Wei sawdong falls and if possible mawsawdong/lyngsiar/mawsawa/Janailar falls all on the same route and the wahkawa falls.Very ambitious and definitely not doable.







The Nohkalika Falls with its tragic story of the daughter and mother who were killed/died was one of the falls we could see from afar from the Smoky falls resort.Up close it was majestic in the rains.The pool below was not the aquamarine colour as we had seen the last time around but white as is the norm in the rains.The place was super crowded and one of the better moments we had was actually stopping to click a few photos of the meadows and the lake in the far horizon on the way returning from the falls.

The road to Weisawdong falls as shown by the map getting off the shillong highway after Orange roots restaurant and passing the Sai mika resort was full of pot holes(The better way we discovered later was continuing on the Shillong Highway till we found a sign board mentioning way to all the above named waterfalls and taking a left from there).It was now a down pour and we hoped that by the time we reached the falls the rains would give us a respite as was normally the case in the afternoons.The rains of course did not stick to the plan and kept falling as we contemplated whether we can even get down to have lunch or just head back.Finally we took a call to have lunch at a shack and if the rains did not stop we would then head back.In the pouring rain we ran from the car to the hotel and even forgot our phones.
Lunch in this simple hotel was hot rice and dal with cucumber and mangoes.The shack served as a temporary home to the family of 3 kids a couple of adults and a dog.

As we enjoyed our hot meals in the pouring rains where they had managed to fold the plastic cover and close the hotel to ensure rains were kept away we had a whale of fun with the young 2 year old kid named first born.

He would peep down on the table and make a grunt when lifting his head and we pretended to be sacred he would then burst into peals of laughter.It was so cute and funny as he continues this game for more than 5 mins as we completed our lunch.If only we had a phone and recorded it I am sure it would have gone viral as his laugh was so infectious and cute with his round smiling face.Guess this was to be destined to be etched in our memory.

Sometimes the best moments creep up to you so silently and could be as in this case just a chance encounter with a cute kid in a shack in the middle of a down pour.Luckily the rains abetted a bit and with our rain coats on we did start on our trek to the falls.Our Neighbour the Murgan’s had just been there 15 days before and the photos with the spectacular blue green shades was vivid on our memories.

However we knew with the weather the pool would only be a white shade and that too we were not able to view as it started raining again and we decided to head only up to the view point using the left fork instead of the pool where we would have to descend a little bit more on the right fork.
The falls was roaring with great fury and we hurriedly took a few photos and climbed up to the base.The rains were still heavy as we took the new road heading towards the Shillong highway instead of the route we had taken to reach here.The roads were super good but visibility was low with a combination of rain and fog and we were driving seemingly through nowhere without any other vehicle in sight.Made the drive fun and interesting though.
Continues to drive ton sohra to fill up petrol and head back to the resort.Later we were to know that in the flash flood rains there were many trees which had up rooted in the vicinity.We however were fortunate that we could reach the resort comfortably as it grew dark.Had a nice hot ginger tea with pakodas and French fries and then went back to our delightfully beautiful A frame wooden houses.The room had a double bed below and an attic with 2 beds.Dinner was a pleasant affair and we met a family from Madurai and bantered with them for some time before retiring for the night.
Breakfast was nice and we were all excited to head now to Mawphalnur village where we had cut a night to accommodate this stay.

Review of Smoky Falls resort Tyrna Village-Stay experience-food

As you would have guessed we were bowled over by the location.The stay place was very picturesque and the beds comfortable.There was a bit of a leakage and service levels had a lot of scope for improvement.Food was decent and reasonably priced but the coffee and tea was top notch.(Coffee best enjoyed black with no sugar to soak in the aroma).The price was a bargain at Rs 6k.

Will recommend to keep this as a base if you want to cover Sohra/Cherrapunji as it is very close.

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Though we missed most of the water falls at sohra(Perhaps to keep the window for a next time) we were excited to head to Mawphanlur village about which we had read so much.We took the butter smooth highway to Nonstoin which is better than the NH option.The road is newly constructed and the drive is pretty much like driving in Europe with nice roads,rolling green hills around you,a nice white stream running parallel alongside and awesome misty weather.

We had a quick lunch and reached Mawphanlur village in the afternoon.The resort location was simply spectacular with about 7 lakes and a few wooden bridges completely hidden by mist.The room though run locally (booking was from an adventure club)was very basic and lacked even a functional toilet.There was no water as there was a leak and water even when filled was fast draining out.Service was poor to say the least but there were lots of tourists I guess as it was a weekend and many were visiting for a day trip.

The walk around the village with its endless green meadows and spectacular views of the lakes was stunning to say the least.





















There is a view point walk and a short 3 kms trek which can be done here.But the village is so beautiful and deserves a couple of days stay with a river island close by.We stayed at the Travellers Nest but would recommend that you check the other homestay here or maybe put base at Maple Pine resort at Mawphlang and travel here.

The place truly is something out of a fairy tale and am glad we came here in the west Khasi hills region.

Review of Travellers Nest-Food- stay

The travellers Nest costed Rs 2500 per day and location is amazing.Food is another plus point but everything else was negative.

Would recommend keeping Mawphlang as a base and travel up and down to Mawphanlur.

Glad we had cut a night stay here.

Next up was Mawphlang and a stay at the Maple Pine Resort.We reached after lunch and were greeted by James and his son and of course Ceasar the Alsatian.A short trek along the stream brought us to the resort a with a delightful A frame stay place.













After freshening up we started for the trek to the sacred forest which is a short trek from here.The climb with only the three of us was fun and we thought we were the only people heading to the scared forest a very popular spot in these parts.

As soon as we climbed up the hill and reached the vast green meadows we saw a horde of cars parked in the horizon but also the sacred forest just to our right.The scared forest is a tradition in these regions and has a lot of history associated with it.

The sacred forest here is among the most popular in Meghalaya and is best experienced through a local guide who take pride in revealing the stories associated with them.One such guide Wesh (8794085430)met us in our journey to reveal the mysteries of the sacred forest.

The walk itself is a very short one through a green canopy of trees with the cacophony of birds and wild flowers and mushrooms visible all around.He explained the monoliths just outside actually represented the uncle(Tallest stone)/Father and nephew.The flat stone is the mother and the 3 small stones are the children.The forest with its varied eco structure houses 450 different species of trees.











THE MAWPHLANG SACRED FOREST- short easy trek.Guide cost Rs 350.Entry fee Rs 30 per person.

Post the visit we trekked back to the Maple Pine Resort.We stopped by talk to kids washing utensils on the banks of the stream and to pluck some fresh potatoes in the fields to boil and have them later.(The simple boiled potatoes with salt and pepper were so yummy when we had them later).
Flew the drone around the property and enjoyed a hot plate of pakodas and Ginger tea with Ceaser for company.A walk around the property along the stream with ceaser who was our self appointed guard and companion was very enjoyable.He had this peculiar play where he ran berserk with a stone on his mouth and then dug a small hole to hide it like a bone.

The room itself was cosy and warm made of polished pine wood and a comfy double bed below and an attic with a double bed on top too.The bathroom was dry and clean and the kitchen was stocked with basic ingredients to make tea or boil simple food.Dinner was a wonderful khasi local cuisine which the cook was delighted to cook for us consisting of black chick peas /Rice/salad/dal which was very delicious.She wished more people explored local food rather than the usual Roti/sabzi and we just couldn’t agree more.After all travel meant that we experience the local flavor and step outside of our comfort zone.

A good night sleep later woke up to the sight of rains viewed from the foggy glass window.Breakfast was a fixed menu chosen the previous night and washed with fresh flavourful local black coffee.A leisurely hot water bath later we were all set to bid adieu to James and his family and planned to cover a visit to the Laitlum Canyon near Shillong/stop for lunch at Café ML-05/Café Shillong and then head to Guwahati where we were booked in Radisson Blu near the airport.

The canyon is a short distance from Shillong and was less than 40 kms from our stay place.I guess the monsoons are not the right time to visit the pace as the entire valley was covered by mist with zero visibility.The popularity of the place was apparent with quite a sizeable crowd and all we did was have a hot corn on the cob and some tea and maggi and drove towards Shillong.











As we missed the route going to Café ML-05 we had lunch at Café Shillong which Smrithi loved as they were playing Taylor Swift songs.A customary ice cream at the nearby Amul shop and we were all set to say goodbye to Meghalaya oh we did stop at the Umiam lake to get some quick photos.
A brief stop for some tea and we were at the hotel Radisson Blu by dinner time.Wrapped up the car rental return which went rather smoothly.The entire experience with Zola Adventure was pleasant and the deposit return was instantaneous.

The stay at Radisson with the breakfast was luxurious and the flight back to Bangalore smooth and thankfully uneventful.

Review of Radisson Blue- The luxury was worth it at the end of a wonderful trip.

So its Au Revoir till the next trip.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[haisaikat]

Perfect offbeat vacation with wonderful photos which are nothing short of a dream sequence with the foggy and cloudy theme. You have an artistic point of view in composing as it seems from the outcome. Curious to know what photography gear you used, saw lot of 4:3s and mix of other resolutions?

We did consider Meghalaya on a 11-day Kolkata to Kolkata by road but eventually dropped for the trek and the fact that 2-3 days each way would be spent in travel warranting a longer end to end leave requirement. Your locations were less regular, yet with flights it was 9 days Home to Home.

However, the place is absolute gem and your travel account certainly will make Meghalaya a compelling trip to be made sooner including the likes of me. Rated 5 stars.

[vijayols]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Perfect offbeat vacation with wonderful photos which are nothing short of a dream sequence with the foggy and cloudy theme. You have an artistic point of view in composing as it seems from the outcome. Curious to know what photography gear you used, saw lot of 4:3s and mix of other resolutions?

We did consider Meghalaya on a 11-day Kolkata to Kolkata by road but eventually dropped for the trek and the fact that 2-3 days each way would be spent in travel warranting a longer end to end leave requirement. Your locations were less regular, yet with flights it was 9 days Home to Home.

However, the place is absolute gem and your travel account certainly will make Meghalaya a compelling trip to be made sooner including the likes of me. Rated 5 stars.

@haisaikat thanks for the 5 star rating.Made my Day for sure.

The foggy and Cloudy theme is usually the norm in Meghalaya which is a dream destination as a driver with the mix of lovely empty roads and the weather condition.Can vouch the experience is probably right up there amongst the most fun to drive states in India with good road conditions for a driver.

All uploaded photographs are from my humble mobile phone with all drone shots yet to be shared.The varied ratios and resolution was probably mixing the upload from my phone in low-medium resolution depending on how many pictures I was exporting in one shot.

We love exploring less crowded places wherever we go and preferably in off season too to really enjoy the place at its best.In this trip realized Mawphalunur didn't exactly have the best stay options and is best visited as a day trip.

Would certainly recommend a revisit on the cancelled road trip plan .Always envious of Kolkatta folks as the entire NE is so easily drivable from Kolkatta!

Thanks once again Buddy.